1. Technical Field
This invention relates to first aid devices and, more particularly, to a thermally-activated first aid device for effectively halting nosebleeds.
2. Prior Art
Nosebleeds, or epistaxis, are episodes of profuse bleeding from within the nose. Twice as common in children as in adults, nosebleeds are usually more frightening than genuinely hazardous, although they can also be symptomatic of very serious conditions including high blood pressure, cancer, blood clotting disorders, and cocaine abuse.
In children, nosebleeds tend to occur from within the front of the nose, while adults may experience a more severe bleeding from high up within the nasal passages or sinus cavities. Nosebleeds, generally, can be stopped by continuous application, for five minutes or so, of pressure to both sides of the nose, preferably combined with cold, such as an ice bag or cold-pack.
Medical experts advise that, if the bleeding has not stopped after two such periods of pressure, the patient should seek medical care immediately. For the person suffering a nosebleed, the experience is unsettling and alarming, and presents an immediate and practical problem: with one hand they are supposed to hold the two sides of the nose tightly closed, somehow applying an ice pack at the same time, and with the other they are supposed to hold a cloth, handkerchief, paper towels, or other absorbent material to their nose, which is still bleeding copiously. This is virtually impossible, and can lead the sufferer to experience not only the nosebleed, but symptoms of a panic attack as well.
Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted problems. The first aid device is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for many years of repeated use.